What Is Barcelona’s Best XI For The 2010-11 Season?

Ollie Irish

25th, August 2010

20 Comments

COMPARED with Real Madrid’s current Best XI, it should be a breeze picking Barcelona’s first-choice line-up…

“Back a bit… a bit more… a bit more.”

The formation: I’m going for a 4-2-3-1, with Biscuits in the holding role, and Xavi as the playmaker who never gives the ball away.

The line-up:

Victor Valdes

Dani Alves – Carles Puyol (c) – Gerard Pique – Adriano

Xavi – Sergio Busquets

Pedro – Lionel Messi – Andres Iniesta

David Villa

The back five picks itself, except at LB, where I chose new signing Adriano over Eric Abidal or Maxwell, mainly because Adriano is all shiny and new, and has huge potential.

In the heart of midfield, Busquets wins the ball then he gives it to Xavi. Simple. Xavi plays it up to one of Pedro, Messi or Iniesta. That should work. Up front, new signing David Villa can finish off those pretty tiki-taka moves.

A variation on this would see Zlatan starting up front on his own, with Villa moving onto the left wing. Iniesta and Messi shuffle sideways, Pedro drops to the bench.

Of course, this being Barcelona, the attack-minded players are pretty much interchangeable. If Pep Guardiola wants to move Villa out to the left flank, to drag a centre-back out of position, he can do that safe in the knowledge that Villa is flexible enough to do just that – as we saw in the World Cup. And Messi can play wherever the hell he wants.

It’s not only a brilliant team but a settled one. Over at Real, Mourinho has much work to do.

There, I’ve shown you mine, now you show me yours…

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20 Comments

  1. komu says:

    Valdes

    Dani Alves – Puyol – Pique – Adriano

    Xavi – Busquets – Iniesta

    Messi – İbra – Villa

    maybe too offesive minded, but if you paid about 70m for someone you play him. also i don’t think pep would change his 4-3-3 that easily.

  2. kct says:

    Biscuits was okay at the world cup bc he was surrounded by top class players. If they replaced him with mascherano and sorted out the left back position theyd be sorted for the next 2-3 seasons.

    Valdes
    Dani Alves – Puyol – Pique – ?

    Xavi – Mascherano – Iniesta

    Messi – İbra – Villa

  3. Anonymous says:

    i’m goin for a Ibra sale

    valdes
    alves-pique-puyol-adriano
    xavi-basq-maxwell
    messi-villa-iniesta(****on total shuffle mode****)

  4. niallodinho says:

    away barca team:
    valdes
    alves pique puyol abidal
    busquets xavi keita
    messi villa iniesta

    home barca team:
    valdes
    alves pique puyol maxwell
    busquets xavi iniesta
    pedro messi villa

  5. PhilandoTorres says:

    Victor Valdes

    Dani Alves – Carles Puyol (c) – Gerard Pique – Adriano

    Sergio Busquets

    Xavi – Iniesta

    Messi – David Villa – Pedro

    Slightly unorthodox 4-1-2-3 which I’d change to a 4-3-3 away from home with Xavi sitting with Busquets and Iniesta roaming.

  6. Jaime says:

    If Mascherano finally signs, by XI would be:

    Valdés
    Alves-Piqué-Puyol(C)-Abidal
    Mascherano
    Busquets-Xavi
    Iniesta-Messi
    Villa

    It’s a kind of 4-1-2-2-1, with Iniesta and Mesis moving wherever they fancy.

    For away matches, I’d say that Busquets adopts a defensive midfielder position, but mostly the same line-up

  7. steVan says:

    valdes
    alves puyol pique adriano
    busquets
    xavi iniesta

    messi villa
    ibrahimovic

    something a little fresh or maybe unorthodox by letting busquets the sole role in holding,giving xavi and iniesta to roam freely,giving messi and villa use their pace on flank and suply croses or passes for ibra to execute…a bit like 4-1-4-1 but dynamic 4-1-2-2-1

  8. Jon says:

    Valdes
    Alves – Puyol – Pique – Maxwell
    Busquets
    Xavi – Iniesta
    Messi – Ibra – Villa

    Being a Liverpool fan I hope they don’t, but getting Masch would be the best thing for them. Biscuits doesn’t seem up to it to me.
    Also, the front three can switch around whenever, with Alves and Maxwell being more attacking wingbacks than fullbacks.

  9. dcc says:

    All you putting down playing a 41221 realize that if Barca play that way there will be no width to our play and we will get schooled

    alves-pique-puyol-abidal
    xavi-busquets
    messi-iniesta-villa
    Ibra

    If we keep Ibra, play like that with xavi pushing up, this wouls fix Ibra going left into the box all the time because Iniesta can slot right

    or Ultra offence

    alves-pique-puyol-maxwell
    xavi-iniesta
    Pedro-Messi-Villa
    Ibra

  10. blitzen says:

    Wow, not a single person so far has put Keita in their starting 11? He has been immense in the preseason so far!

  11. ilps says:

    I believe Pep will go with 4-3-3.
    Ibra should be dropped to the bench or sold.
    So I don’t agree with the formation but I agree with Ollie on the line-up and I’ve kept Adriano because Maxwell isn’t effective going forward and Abidal simply not good enough.

  12. The Truth says:

    With overrated Busquets being Spanish, I think Pep will fancy him over Keita. I’m not entirely sure about the lineup, but I’m going to assume that J. Dos Santos and Thiago will be on the bench with the first team this year.

  13. TALHA KHAN says:

    VALDES
    alves-pique-puyol-adriano
    xavi-mascherano
    messi-xavi-pedro
    villa

    bench
    ibra-maxwell-abidal-bojan-busquets

  14. Anonymous says:

    in the familiar IOU formation…

    ———-broke———-
    -debt-bankrupt-poor-bust-
    —–unpaid—–owing—–
    ———-needy———–
    –destitute—-penniless–
    ———-ruined———-

  15. chet says:

    in the familiar IOU formation…

    ———-broke———-
    -debt-bankrupt-poor-bust-
    —–unpaid—–owing—–
    ———-needy———–
    –destitute—-penniless–
    ———-ruined———-

  16. Nuno says:

    @ TALHA KHAN
    Playing with two Xavis certainly would make Barça stronger, but don’t think that’s quite possible yet… (believe you meant messi-iniesta-pedro in front).

    Given Barça’s predilection over spanish players, the first team should be something like

    -Valdes-
    Alves – Puyol – Pique – Adriano
    Xavi – Busquets – Iniesta
    Messi – Villa – Pedro

    That will depend on how match-fit Ibra is, who might replace pedro and send villa leftwards. Although with the above trio upfront it should be a nightmare for defenders to know who to follow as they should constantly changing positions (villa, messi and pedro can play any position upfront, just give them the ball and they will create danger immediatly). Quite a scary team to play against…

  17. Johan Cryuff says:

    Valdes
    Alves – Puyol – Pique – Adriano
    Busquets
    Xavi – Iniesta
    Messi – Villa – Pedro

    I don’t understand why people think Busquets is overrated, he might be a cheat and a diver but he is a fantastic player with alot of skill and offers far more than Mascherano, I personally don’t see how Macherano would start, Barca are all about having players who have technique and can do more than just cover the back 4, Mascherano is a great DM but also very one dimensional.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Mascherano offers far more than Busquets.

  19. Andrew Thompson says:

    Valdes

    Alves Pique Puyol Maxwell
    Busquets
    Xavi Iniesta

    Messi Villa SHOLA AMEOBI

  20. davil ben says:

    i think 4-3-3 will do and kill off madrid’s defence
    vadez
    alves-puyol-pique-abidal
    iniesta-xavi-busquets
    villa-messi-pedro

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